Folding brace



Jan. 6, 1931. H J, GILBERT e 1,788,102

FOLDING VBRACE Filed Septt 20, 1928 INTGR Bezfy J @Liberi ATTORNEY y Patented Jan. 6, 1931 l UNITED STATES HENRY .LGILBERIL or SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, .nissIGNonjrosAGINAwIIANUAcrUna ING co., or SAGINAW, MICHIGAN,AfconomrIoN,,or'rfIvIIcnIGAN FoIaaING'*I3-inalen,jj," n

Application mea september 2,0,.'1'kas I 'serial N. .3Q7`j211- A.

tion to each other at' the joint, that the two bars when extended to form the brace will` lie as nearly as possible in the same plane, in order that the extended brace,'when p'ut y into compression by loads applied at its ends,

will have a minimum of tendency to buckle in the vicinity of the joint.

A further objectof the invention is to solocate and arrange thel above-mentioned offset on one of the bars as to enable it. to also serve as a lateralstop for theprojectmg end of the other bar when the bars are extended,

for the purpose of holding the joint members in alignment. The inventive novelty a-s claimed herein is found in the combination of the two pivotally joined bars with an offset part in one bar that serves the double purpose of aligning both bars as nearly as possible in the same plane, viz, the plane in which they move when folding, and of supplying astop member which restrains the barsagainst lateral movement, thereby holding the joint in locked position.

With the foregoing and certain other objects in view, which will appear later in the specification, my invention comprises the devices described and claimed and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective detail view Aof the joint in extended position, the slidable catch retracted.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the joint Y open.v

Fig. Sis anedge view, partly sectional, of .v

the brace extended.

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively top and bot- 5 As is clearly shown in the drawings, the

brace :proper consistsnin the usual bars T2 Vpivotally joinedy atA 3, a vprojecting portion v 1d offbar lfbeing in -overlapping relation to bar when the brace is extended. The over- I lapping part 1a is formed at its end with ail-55 notch so as topresent a tongue4 that overlies the pivoted end of bar 2.

kClose to the extremity of tongue 4 there is formed in bar 2 an upward offset atl 5y so as to bringthe .bar 2-and the overlapping partf .la of bar 1 into the same plane, as shown byV the center line in Fig. 3.

The offset 5 in bar 2 is formed'witha struck-up abutment 5a whose side wall 5b engages the corresponding side wall 4c of the tongue when the bars 1, 2 are extended.

A catch 6, slidable on bar 2 and formedv with a side wall 6a serves as a releasable keeper for tongue 4.

By shaping the bar 2 with the offset 5 located close to the end of tongue 4, and by forming the offset to provide the abutmentmember .5a I attain the two desired'results above referred to, namely, the bars 1 and 2 are kept more nearly in the same longitudinal plane and, therefore,-'more nearly like a single straight 'bar when they are extended, the aamount'of relative lateral offset being small, as shown at A in Fig. 3, that is, merely enough toy givefolding clearance for bar 1180 over the catch 6. Consequently there is very little tendency to buckle under end thrust and a bar of thin material willresist a relatively j heavier end thrust than is possible when the` joint isv constructed so that the offset dstanceii A is greater than in the present device.

The second advantage attained by this con-V struction is that the oset 5 being located s close to the end of 'keeper 4 is easily formed with the abutment 5b, against which the side'` wall 4c of tongue 4 engages. f

The catch 6 is preferably of the gravitational ktype and can be slid into place after the brace 1 is extended, either by hand or if the brace is at a suitableangle it will engagel automaticallyby gravity. v

Having thus described myy invention, what Iclaimand desire to secure by Letters Fatent In combination, a pair of pivotally yjoined- Y -ipjsegioeV bars one of Whichha's an extended portion in overlapping'relation with the'other bar, Y the end of said overlapping part notched to form a tongue, the other bar provided, near Y said tongue, With an orsetiatwise to bring the `twmdoars V,approxinmtely intofthe same gitudinalslit, the metalrat one'sideof said f .slitlforinedtopresent a struck-u pabntment Y A' 10 V'meniiber Whose side-edgefengages theveorre- Y sponding Sideedgeof'theHzongle'on'thefrst-iV I I mentioned bar when the bars are extended'k and a sldable catch on said second 'b'ar'nrranged to overlap both said oiiset portion 15 and said overlapping portion when the Vbars 3areextended, fior the ;pnx;posese-setsforth l Intestimony-whereof,.'-aix'myisignture n HENRLY J. GILBERT. 

